Combination motor-blower unit for hair dryer



April 15, 1969 G PONCZEK ET AL.

COMBINATION MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT FOR HAIR DRYER ofS Sheet 1 Uriginal Filed June 25, 1965 Illllllllh J7 Vania/19 G. M. PONCZEK ET AL 3,439,204

A ril 15, 1969 COMBINATION MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT FOR HAIR DRYER 2 ors Sheet Originalv Filed June 23, 1965 a. M. PONCZEK ET AL 3,439,204

April 15, 1969 COMBINATION MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT FOR HAIR DRYER Sheet 3 of5 Original Filed June 25, 1965 United States Patent 3,439,204 COMBINATION MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT FOR HAIR DRYER George M. Ponczek, Chicago, Worthy L. Chambers, Wilmette, and Frederick J. Ritter, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Original application June 23, 1965, Ser. No. 466,307, now Patent No. 3,261,107, dated July 19, 1966. Divided and this application May 5, 1966, Ser. No. 547,807

Int. Cl. H02k 9/06 US. Cl. 310-58 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This is a division of application Ser. No. 466,307 filed June 23, 1965, now Patent No. 3,261,107, and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.

This invention relates to hair driers, and more particularly, to an improved portable hair dryer.

Portable hair driers are well known in the art. One form thereof comprises a heater, motor and fan unit, an air hose and a hair drier cap. It is common to provide a carrying case for these parts. The hat is made of plastic sheet material so it can be folded or rolled into a small package. The hose can be stored in the carrying case in coiled position but this requires considerable space. Additionally, the motor, heater and fan unit is sizable. This means that the carrying case is quite large. Typically, it has the size of an overnight or hatbox shaped piece of luggage. However, these factors do not make the portable hair drier truly suitable for travel purposes. This is because the carrying case in effect merely comprises another piece of luggage. Commonly, the apparatus is too large to be placed in a medium sized piece of luggage and still have room left for much else.

In the prior art it has been suggested to conserve on space in hair driers by constructing the hose from plastic sheet material so that it also can be folded or rolled into a small package. However, the disadvantage of such a hose is that in use it will readily form kinks or sharp bends so as to cut off the air supply. This results in overheating in the motor, fan and heater unit. Additionally, these plastic sheet material hoses are integral parts of the caps themselves. This means that the hoses have to be discarded with the caps, or they are limited in their use to the particular caps of which they are a part.

It is an object of this invention to provide a compact hair dryer which is ideally suited for travel purposes.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a compact hair dryer having a collapsible hose for storage but which will not kink or be limited in its life or use to a given hair dryer cap.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a portable hair dryer which is by far more compact than prior hair dryers, the same being true also of the total hair dryer package of motor, heater and fan unit, hose and cap.

3,439,204 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 ice It is a still further object of the invention to provide a portable hair dryer which is considerably smaller in size and weight than prior art portable hair dryers and in addition has a higher heating and air delivery capacity than said prior art hair dryers.

It is a further object of this invention to overcome the above discussed disadvantages of the prior art and to obtain the above stated objects in an uncomplicated and low cost apparatus which can be readily fabricated and assembled and is easy to repair or service.

'In the invention, the hose is expansible and collapsible in an axial direction, and the hose is connected to the hair dryer hot air outlet and is stored in the hair dryer 5 by being collapsible in an axial direction into the hot air outlet. In the preferred form of the invention the casing for the hair dryer comprises a tubular member which has a length of less than one foot. Theexpanded length of the hose is of the order of three feet and its collapsed length is of the order of 2 /2 inches. In other words, when the hose is collapsed for storage inside the casing it occupies only a fraction of the total length thereof. The motor, fan and heating unit are housed in the tubular casing. The outer circumference of the tubular casing is of a size which can be conveniently hand grasped. A control switch is provided on the casing for controlling the motor and heater. Means is provided for disabling the control switch or interrupting the electrical control circuit when the hose is in stored position. Further, in the preferred form of the invention the motor and fan, the heater and the control switch comprise three preassembled subassemblies which are then mounted in the casing. The tubular casing is split length-wise thereof into equal halves. The mentioned subassemblies are positioned in one of the halves, and then the other half completes the enclosure for the internal parts of the hair dryer. Removable means are provided for retaining the two facing casing halves closed with respect to each other. This construction facilitates assembly of the hair dryer and also service or repair work.

The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the section line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along section line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the section line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a broken away view of the invention when the hose is expanded and connected to the inlet opening of a hair dryer cap;

BIG. 7 is a partial sectional view taken along the section line 7--7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the hair dryer in partly assembled condition showing one of the casing halves and the motor and fan, heater, and switch subassemblies assembled therein;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section view taken along the section line 9-9 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 10 is a diagramatic illustration of the electrical circuit for the hair dryer.

Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the hair dryer comprises a tubular casing 10 which has a cylindrical shape. The left hand end 11 of FIG. 1 comprises the cold air inlet end of the hair dryer, and the right hand end 12 of FIG. 1 comprises the hot air outlet end of the hair dryer. The end 12 is closed by a removable end closure cap 12', see FIG. 2. The sectional FIGS. 2-5 portray the actual size of the hair dryer. A switch housing 13 is provided on the hair dryer about midway the length thereof. The housing 13 contains a switch assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 14, see FIG. 2. The housing for the hair dryer is split lengthwise thereof into two halves or semi-cylinders 15 and 16, see FIG. 4. The housing halves 15 and 16 are held closed with respect to each other by removable means located at opposite ends of the hair dryer. At the air outlet end of the hair dryer the removable means comprises a band 17, and at the other end of the housing the removable means comprises a vented cup-shaped member 1 8.

By viewing FIG. 1, will be seen that the hair dryer has the general size, shape and appearance of a hand held cylindrical type flashlight. In other words, the hair dryer is very small or compact. Referring to FIG. 2, the internal components of the hair dryer will be generally indicated by starting at the right hand end 11. First, there is a motor and fan assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 19. Next comes a heater assembly indicated generally by reference numeral 20. The heater assembly 20 is positioned about midway the length of the hair dryer beneath the switch 14. Finally, at the left-hand end is housed a hose indicated generally by reference numeral 21. The left hand end 12 is the air outlet end of the hair dryer and the hose 21 is shown as being axially collapsed into the left-hand end of the hair dryer for storage therein. In an actually constructed embodiment of the invention, similar to that shown in FIG. 2, the collapsed hose per se has a length of about 2% inches, and if its end fittings are included then the total collapsed length of the hose assembly 21 is about 3 /2 inches. The total length of the hair dryer is about 10 inches. Therefore, the collapsed hose occupies only a small fraction of the total length of the hair dryer. The switch housing 13 also provides a terminal board chamber 22. A pair of electrical prongs 23 extend out of the chamber 22 for connection to an electrical extension cord 24. From the drawings it can be seen that the outer diameter of the hair dryer casing is of the order of 2. /2 inches. In other words, the outer circumference of the hair dryer is of a size which can be conveniently grasped and held in one hand.

The details of the motor and fan unit 19 will be described first. This unit comprises a pair of cylindrical mounting members 25 and 26. These members are concentric with respect to each other. The member 25 extends about half way into the member 26, and the members are radially spaced with respect to each other to provide an annular space 27 therebetween. A plurality of combination air directing and motor cooling vanes 28 are provided between the members 25 and 26. The vanes 28 are integrally connected to the members 25 and 26 and extend radially across the space 27 and also lengthwise of the member 25. The parts 25, 26 and 28 are constructed of metal and may be fabricated by casting. As will be more apparent hereinafter, the vanes 28 dissipate heat from a motor in the part 25.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the inner member 25 forms a housing and mounting means for the motor per se, which is a series wound high speed motor, and the outer member 26 comprises a mounting member for the complete motor and fan assembly. The member 26 is snugly received inside the hair dryer casing between its halves 15 and 16 to hold the motor and fan assembly in axially aligned position with respect to the casing. The opposite ends of mounting member 26 are provided with sound dampening rings 29. The rings 29 may be constructed from synthetic cellular or sponge material. The left-hand end of the member 26 butts against a shoulder 30 formed on the hair dryer housing, and the right-hand end of mem- 4 ber 26 is butted by a shoulder 31 formed inside the vented cap 18.

An axial flow fan is positioned in the forward half of the mounting member 26. The fan comprises an integral hub 32 and axial flow vanes 33. The vanes extend across the annular space 27. The fan is mounted on the end of an armature shaft 34 of the motor. The vented cap or cup 18 is provided with an integral protective grid. The grid comprises a plurality of radially extending vanes 35 so as to direct the air flow therethrough in a lengthwise direction. The motor comprises a stator field 36 mounted in member 25. Extending in to the stator field 36 is an armature 37 mounted on the shaft 34. The right hand of shaft 34 is provided with a bearing 38, and the left hand end with a bearing 39. The left-hand end of shaft 34 is also provided with a commutator 40 which cooperates with a pair of commutator brush assemblies indicated generally by reference numeral 41. The bearing 38 is seated in an integral bearing seat 42 formed at the right hand end of member 25. The left hand bearing 39 is seated in an integral bearing seat 43 formed on a plastic collar 44. The plastic member 44 also provides a mounting for the brush assemblies 41. Plastic member 44 is mounted on the lefthand end of member 25 by a U-shaped resilient member 45. The bight portion of member 45 is seated in a groove 46 formed in the left-hand end of member 44. The free ends of U-shaped member 45 have small hooks formed thereon which are received by a pair of apertures 47 formed along the left-hand edge of member 25, see FIG. 8. The right-hand end of the plastic member 44 has a shoulder 48 formed thereon which is seated on the left-hand end of member 25 so as to axially align the parts 25 and 44 with respect to each other.

The brush assemblies 41 comprise metallic brush holders 49 mounted in the plastic ring 44. Brushes 50 are disposed in the members 49. Terminal clips 51 are connected to the outer ends of the brush holders 49, and a coil spirng 52 is disposed between the terminal clips 51 and the brushes 50 for urging the brushes 50 towards the commutator 40'.

It will now be readily apparent that the motor and fan assembly comprises a self-contained unit. In order to service the same the band 17 and the cup 18 are removed so that one-half of the casing 10 can be uncovered with respect to the other half. This will expose the motor and fan unit. The motor and fan unit can be readily removed, and service and repair work are further facilitated inasmuch as the whole motor and fan unit can be readily disassembled after freeing of the U-shaped spring 45 by snap pushing it out of its seat 46. The brushes 50, of course, can be readily replaced merely by removal of the terminal clips 51. In assembling the hair dryer the preassembled motor-fan unit 19 is positionedin one of the casing halves and then the other facing half is closed thereover. Thereafter, repositioning of the elements 17 and 18 on opposite ends of the hair dryer casing will lock the motor and fan assembly in position.

Besides the cooling vanes 28, further cooling of the motor is provided by having cooling ducts (see FIG. 2) formed between the stator 36 and motor housing 25 and venting the opposite ends of the motor housing 25 to expose the shaft bearing 38, 39, the commutator 40, and the brush assemblies 41 to the cool air entering the right hand end of the hair dryer and passing over the motor. The stator 36 is annular in shape and is spaced from motor housing 25 by a plurality of lengthwise extending spaced ledges 141 integrally formed on the inside of motor housing 25. The cooling ducts 140 are defined between the spaced ledges 141.

Venting of opposite ends of the motor will be described by reference to FtIGS. 2 and 4. At the left hand end of the motor the molded plastic collar 44 is provided with an integral diametrically extending crosspiece 142 (see FIG. 4). This is the part of collar 44 which provides the bearing seat 43 for bearing 39. This end of the collar is vented as is clearly shown by FIG. 4.

Due to this venting the bearing 39 and brush assembly 41 and commutator 40 are exposed to cooling air. The brush holders 49 are seamless impact extruded aluminum sleeves which are inserted into suitable apertures therefor formed in collar 44 and fixed in position such as by a suitable cement.

Improved means are provided for removably locking the bearings 38, 39 in place to further facilitate service and repair work. Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 and the left hand vented end of the motor, the bearing 39 is held in place by a resilient metallic bearing retainer 143 which cooperates with a pair of diametrically positioned integral lugs 144 (see FIG. 2) which are located along opposite ends and sides of the crosspiece 142. The retainer 143 is circular and of course it and the hearing 39 are provided with centnally aligned apertures for passing the motor shaft 34 therethro-ugh. The retainer 143 has a pair of diametrically opposite integral ears 145 which are adapted to catch on the lugs 144. The lugs 144 are offset inward of the bearing seat 43. With the bearing 39 and retainer 143 superposed thereover the ears 145 are then pushed toward the seat 43 and the retainer 143 is then rotated a few degrees to catch the ears 145 on the lugs 144. Of course, to remove the hearing it is necessary to turn the retainer in the opposite direction to disengage the ears 145 from the lugs 144.

The right hand end of the motor is vented and provided with a removable shaft bearing structure similar to that just described in connection with the left hand end. The parts at the right hand end corresponding to the described left hand end parts 142, 143, 144 and 145 have been designated by the reference numerals 142', 143', 144 and 145 respectively. The end rim of housing 25 positioned contiguous to the fan hub 32 is illustrated as being spaced therefrom to provide a gap 146 to permit the entry of cooling air into the motor. Alternately, air inlet notches can be formed in this end rim. The cooling air entering the motor will flow past the right hand bearing structure, over the field and armature, and then over the left hand bearing, brushes and commutator to adequately cool the motor.

The electric heater assembly 20 will now be described. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the electric heater assembly comprises a heat reflecting shield 52. The shield 52 is constructed from a metal such as sheet aluminum. Shield 52 is radially spaced from the inner surfaces of the air dryer casing side walls by an annular space 53. The space 53 is provided to prevent overheating of the plastic of the housing members and 16. The air drawn through the hair dryer casing by the fan flows along the outside of shield 52 through the space 53 as well as through the inside of the shield 52 over the electric heater wire sub-assembly positioned therein. Referring also to FIG. 10, the electric heater wire sub-assembly comprises a pair of electric heating coils 54 and 55. These are medium and low wattage heating coils, and as will be described more fully hereinafter, they are intended to be operated individually or in parallel to provide a low, medium, and high heat condition. The heating coils are mounted on a pair of insulating cards 56 which are arranged at right angles with respect to each other. The insulating cards 56 are retained in their cruciform disposition by the shield 52. Opposite corners of the cards 56 are provided with tabs 57. These tabs 57 enter notches 58 formed in the shield 52 to retain the subassembly of electric heater coils and insulating cards mounted inside the shield. The heater shield 52 comprises a continuous strip of aluminum which is bent into a circular shape. After the subassembly of insulating cards and heating coils is inserted into the shield 52 its free ends 59 are fastened together such as by welding. The free ends 59 are bent at right angles to the strip of the shield, and the free ends 59 are held captive by lugs 60 integrally formed on the inside of the hair dryer casing. In other words, the bent ends 59 serve to space the shield 52 from the casing, and the lugs 60 maintain this spaced relationship and retain the shi'led 52 from turning. Other tabs 61 are formed along the lateral sides of the shield at opposite ends thereof. These tabs 61 are seated in depressions or seats 62 integrally formed along the insides of the two casing halves 15 and 16.

The tabs 61 and seats 62 also perform the function of maintaining the shield 52 in spaced fixed relationship with respect to the hair dryer casing.

By viewing FIG. 5 it will be seen that a bi-metallic thermally responsive switch 63 is mounted on one of the cards 56. This switch 63 is connected in series with the two heater coils, such as shown in FIG. 10, for the purpose of interrupting the circuit to the heaters in the event of overheating. The other end of the heater coils are connected to a pair of straps 64 and 65, see FIG. 5. Straps 64 and 65 are supported off the insulating cards 56 and extend therefrom through an opening 66 formed in one end of the shield towards the electric switch 14. Actually, the electric switch 14 is supported ofi the upper ends of the straps 64 and 65. An insulating grommet embraces the straps 64 and 65 for the purpose of maintaining them in spaced insulated relationship.

The details of the switch assembly 14 will now be described. The switch 14 comprises an insulating board 68. The upper ends of the straps 64 and 65 are riveted to the board 68 to provide a pair of electric contacts 69 and 70 on the upper face of the board 68. A terminal strip 71 is likewise positioned beneath the board 68 and is riveted thereto to provide another contact 72. Fastened in the center of the board 68 is a shaft 73. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 73 is a contact disc which is divided into four spaced contact arms 74, 75, 76 and 77. A contact strip 78 is positioned against the underside of the board 68 and at its inner end it is fastened to the lower end of the shaft 73 so as to be in electrical contact therewith. The contact disc comprising the arms 74-77 of course is also in electrical contactwith the shaft 73 inasmuch at it is mounted thereon.

In FIGS. 9 and 10 the switch 14 is shown in open position. When the contact disc is rotated clockwise the contact arm 75 will first engage the contact 72. None of the other contacts will be engaged by the contact arms. Current flows from the lower prong 23 (see FIG. 10) through the motor 19 and contact 72 and contact arm 75 through the shaft 73. Thereafter current goes from shaft 73 through the strip 78 and a disconnect switch indicated by reference numeral 79 to the upper prong 23. Therefore, just the motor 19 is energized to blow cool air through the hair dryer. If the contact disc is further rotated, the contact arm 77 will come into engagement with the contact 69 while contact arm 75 continues to engage the contact 72. This means that the low heater wire 55 will be connected in parallel with the motor 19. The flow of current is from the lower prong 23 through the thermostat 63 and low heater wire 55 to the strap 64 and contact 69. Then current goes from contact 69 through arm 77 and shaft 73 to the strip 78 and then through the disconnect switch 79 to the upper prong 23. If the contact disc is rotated still further the contact arm 77 will leave the contact 69 and the contact arm 75 will engage contact 70 and contact arm 74 will engage contact 72. This will place the heater 54 in parallel with the motor for a medium heat condition, whereas the just previously described circuit condition, gave a condition of low heat. The circuit for the motor will comprise the contact 72 and contact arm 74. The circuit for the medium heater 54 will comprise the contact 70 and contact arm 75. If the contact disc is rotated still further in the clockwise direction, contact arm 76 will engage contact 69 and contact 75 will continue to engage contact 70 and contact arm 74 will continue to engage contact 72. This connects both of the heaters in parallel with the motor. The low heater 55 is connected in the circuit through contact 69 and contact arm 76. The medium heater continues to be connected in the circuit through the contact and contact arm 75, and the motor is still connected in the circuit through the contact 72 and contact arms 74. This is the high or maximum heat condition for the hair dryer. When the heaters are on either individually or together, and an overheating condition develops, the thermostat 63 will interrupt the electric circuit to the heaters. However, the motor 19 will continue to operate to drive the fan so as to rapidly move cool air through the hair dryer to dissipate the excess heat.

The contact disc of the contact arms 74-77 is rotated by a thumb or finger actuated wheel 80. Thumb wheel 80 is exposed through openings 81 formed in opposite sides of the switch housing 13. The bottom of wheel 80 is provided with an integral cup-portion which is loosely received on the shaft 73. Formed on the cup-portion are two integral and depending segmental portions 82 and 83. The segmental portion 82 extends between the spaced arms 74 and 77 and the other segmental portion 83 extends to between the spaced arms and 76. Therefore, when the wheel is rotated, the segmental portions 82 and 83 will drive the contact disc of the contact arms 74-77. The underside of the contact wheel is provided with a plurality of pips or lugs 84, see FIG. 5. The lugs 84 cooperate with a resilient finger 85 mounted on the top of the board 68 to provide an indexing mechanism for the thumb wheel 80. The exposed top of the wheel 80 is provided with an indicating arrow or the like 86 (see FIG. 1) which cooperates with a suitable dial 87 located on the top of the switch housing 13. The dial 87 is printed on a decorative piece 88 which overlays the top of the switch housing 13. The dial 87 is provided with the following marks: olf, cool, low, medium, and high.

The switch housing 13 actually comprises a pair of open sided boxes, each one being integrally formed along the upper lengthwise edges of the hair dryer housing halves 15 and 16. The switch 14 is a subassembly which is mounted on the heater subassembly 20 inasmuch as it is supported otf the straps 64 and 65. When the heater assembly is being assembled its end tabs 59 are positioned against the lugs 60 in the casing half 15 and its tabs 61 are positioned in the recesses 62 of that casing half. Simultaneously, the switch 14 is carried into position with the heater assembly. That is to say, the thumb wheel will project through the opening 81 and the corners of the switch board 68 will be nested in grooves 89 and 90 formed in integral portions of the casing half 15. Similar grooves 89 and 90 are formed in the casing half 16 for the other corners of the board 68 and the strip 78 will pass into a notch 91 formed in a wall 92. The wall 92 divides the switch housing 13 into a chamber for the switch 14 and another chamber 22 for the disconnect switch 79 previously discussed in the operation of the device in connection with the electric circuit diagram of FIG. 10. The casing half 15 is actually the base member for preassembling the parts in the housing. After the parts are assembled in the housing part 15, the other casing half 16, which is actually the cover part of the hair dryer casing, is placed over the casing half 15 to complete the hair dryer enclosure and retain the parts in their illustrated assembled positions. The top of the switch housing is provided with an opening 93 for exposing the pointer 86 on the top of the thumb wheel 80. Additionally, an opening 94 is provided in a base or floor 95 of the switch housing 13 so that the straps 64, 65 can extend from the heater assembly 20 into the interior of the switch housing 13. The opening 94 is closed by the rubber or other insulating material spacer block 67 of the straps 64, 65.

The details of the previously mentioned disconnect switch 79 in the chamber 22 will now be described. The disconnect switch 79 is for the purpose of disabling the switch 14 from energizing the motor and heater when the hose assembly 21 is collapsed inside the hair dryer casing.

In other words, the disconnect switch 79 interrupts the electrical circuit for the motor and heaters whenever the hose assembly is disposed in collapsed stored position. The disconnect switch comprises the contact strip 78 of the switch 14 and a resilient contact arm 96 connected to one of the prongs 23. In the closed position of the disconnect switch, such as illustrated in FIG. 8, the resilient contact arm 96 is in engagement with the strip 78. An actuator is provided for the contact arm 96 comprising a strip of electrical insulating material board 97. As is shown in FIG. 8, when the board 97 is moved in a left-hand direction the disconnect switch 79 is closed. However, when it is moved in a right hand direction, such as is illustrated in FIG. 2, the insulating board strip 97 moves the resilient contact arm 96 away from the strip 78 to open the disconnect switch 79. The insulating strip 97 is moved in a right-hand direction by a ring 98 connected to the right-hand end of the collapsible hose assembly 21. As will be more clear hereinafter, when the hose assembly 21- is collapsed into the hot air outlet of the hair dryer, the ring 98 is biased in a right-hand direction to strike the insulating strip 97 so as to move it to the disconnect switch open position. The prongs 23 are mounted on a terminal board 99 which is mounted in grooves 100 formed in integral portions of the chamber 22. The terminal board 99 and the resilient contact arm 96 mounted thereon is assembled by first positioning these parts in the casing half 15. The resilient contact arm 96 is curved about an integral lug 101 to keep these parts assembled in the chamber 22 of casing half 15. When the air hose assembly 21 is withdrawn from the hair dryer casing, the ring 98 is no longer urged in a right-hand direction to bias the insulating strip 97 against the contact arm 96. The resiliency of the contact arm 96 is sufiicient to then move the insulating strip 97 in a lefthand direction so as to close itself on the strip 78. The strip of insulating material board 97 is disposed in the casing half 15 on the switch housing floor 95. It is retained and guided in this position by grooves 102 and 103, see FIGS. 8 and 2 respectively, formed in the lefthand end wall of the switch housing 13 and the divider wall 92.

The hose assembly 21 will now be described in detail. In a constructed form of the invention the expanded length of the hose assembly was between 3 and 3 /2 feet. The hose comprises thin sheet material 104, see FIG. 6, in conduit form. In one constructed form of the invention the sheet material 104 was polyurethane-vinyl having a thickness of 0.007 inch. The conduit form can be formed into a seamless tube by an extruding process, or an elongated piece of plastic can be rolled on itself into cylindrical form and then sealed closed at its meeting edges. The material 104 is not self supporting. That is to say, the strength of the side walls of the conduit 104 are insutficient to prevent the side walls from collapsing on themselves. Collapse of the side walls is prevented by a reinforcing filament 105 which extends the length of the hose helically. In one constructed form of the invention, the filament 105 was a plastic coated resilient wire or spring element. It is located on the outside of the conduit 104 and is sealed thereto. Sealing between the filament 105 and conduit 104 can be accomplished by an adhesive, however, it is also possible to heat seal the plastic of the sheet 104 and the plastic of the filament 105 together by pressurizing the sheet 104 into contact with the filament 105 and applying heat to the parts to fuse them together. The helical filament 105 is collapsible and expansible in its axial or lengthwise direction. The sheet 104 is likewise collapsed or expanded in a lengthwise direction. The plurality of turns of the filament 105 are spaced relatively close together so that the hose cannot be kinked or bent into a sharp turn so as to cut off the air supply. This is accomplished by making the space between adjacent turns of the filament 105 less than the diameter of the turns. The diameter of the hose of course needs to be somewhat less than the internal diameter of the hair dryer casing so that the hose can be freely moved into and out of the casing.

The ring 98 is connected to the inner end of the hose. The hose is connected to the ring 98 by clamping a full end turn portion of the filament 105 between a shoulder 106 on ring 98 and a grid member 107. The grid 107 is disposed between the shoulder 106 and opposite shoulders 108 so as to clamp the filament end turn of the hose to the ring 98. The end turn of the filament 105 can be positioned inside the ring 98 readily inasmuch as the turns of filament 105 are resilient. The grid 107 is constructed from metal or high temperature resistant plastic since it is positioned close to the heater. The grid besides locking the hose to ring 98 serves as a safety device to prevent accidental contact with the heater. The ring 98 is freely slidable in opposite directions Within the left-hand end of the hair dryer housing when viewing FIGS. 2, 6 and 8. Travel of ring 98 in a left-hand direction is limited by a shoulder 109. Travel in a right-hand direction is limited by the left-hand end of the switch housing floor 95 along the top of the hair dryer housing, and along the bottom by the shoulder 110, see FIG. 8. Along the lateral sides of the hair dryer housing right-hand movement of the ring 98 is limited by the seats 62 of the heater assembly mounting tabs 61. When the hose assembly is stuffed into the hair dryer hot air outlet the resiliency of the compressor turns off the filament 105 bias the ring 98 in the right-hand direction to strike the insulating strip 97 so as to open the disconnect switch 79. It is desirable to have the circuit opened when the hose is in stored position so that the hair dryer cannot be energized at this time. The collapsed hose has an impeding efiect on movement of the air through the hair dryer casing and this might result in overheating. When the hose is withdrawn from the hair dryer casing in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6 the ring 98 freely slides in a left-hand direction against the shoulder 109. At this time the resilient contact 96 moves the insulating strip 97 in a left-hand direction and closes itself on the strip 78. In other words, the disconnect switch is automatically opened when the hose is stuffed or stored in the hair dryer casing, and it is automatically closed when the hose is withdrawn from the casing. After the disconnect switch 79 closes, the electric circuit is no longer interrupted so that the switch 14 is operative to turn the motor and heaters on.

The outer end of the hose has a connection ring 111 connected thereto. The connector ring 11.1 is adapted for connection to a hair dryer cap, indicated generally by reference numeral 112, see FIG. 6. The cap is provided with an inlet ring 113, and the left-hand end of the connector ring 111 is provided with shoulders 114 which are adapted to snap lock the connector 111 to the ring 1.13; Either or both of the rings 111 and 113 are constructed from flexible plastic material to facilitate ready connection and disconnection of the rings 111 and 113 with respect to each other. The full end turn of the filament 105 at the outer end of the hose is connected to the ring 111 in a manner similar to that described for the inner end of the hose. That is to say, spaced shoulders 115 and 116, see FIG. 2, are provided for locking the end turn of the filament in the ring 111. The filament end turn is clamped between the shoulders 115 and 116 by a ring 117 snapped over the shoulders 115 in the direction of shoulder 116.

When the hose is stuffed into the hair diyer casing, it is kept from popping out of the casing by a releasable connection between the ring 111 and the left-hand end of the casing. The releasable connection is of the partial turn engagement type and comprises teeth 118, see FIG. 6, formed on the ring 111 and grooves 119, see FIG. 8, formed on the casing. When the teeth 118 are engaged into the grooves .119 the ring 111 will not rotate and disengage itself inasmuch as the compressed filament 105 of the stored hose biases the teeth 118 into frictional nonturning engagement with the groove 119.

Referring to FIG. 2, after the hose is stored and locked in the hair dryer casing the left-hand open end of the casing is closed by the cap 12' which is constructed from plastic material and can snap into the groove 120, see FIGS. 2 and 8. In order to release the hose from stored position the cap 12' is removed and then the ring 111 is turned for about A of a turn to release the parts 118, 119. When ring 111 is unlocked from the end of the easing the compressed filament turns will automatically eject the hair dryer hose out of the end of the hair dryer casing. In assembling the air hose to the hair dryer casing the ring 98 with its connected hose is disposed in the casing half 15 between the shoulder 109 and the heater assembly. After this the casing half 16 is superposed on the casing half 15 to lock the ring 98 inside the air outlet end of the hair dryer casing. Of course since the ring 98 is free to slide back and forth in the .air outlet passageway of the left-hand end of the casing the hose is connected to the hair dryer permanently but with allowance for limited movement of the inner end thereof within the air outlet.

In its normal condition the hose is in expanded condition. This is because the turns of the filament are prestressed so that in the absence of a collapsing force they move axially away from each other to expand the hose. Therefore, to collapse the hose a moderate pressure has to be applied thereto in an axial direction. However, as soon as the cap 12' is removed and the parts 118, 119 disengaged the energy stored in the collapsed filament turns will eject the hose out of the casing.

The corresponding edges of the casing halves 15 and 16 have mating grooves and shoulders to keep the casing halves properly assembled with respect to each other. In FIG. 8 these grooves are indicated by reference numerals .121. In FIGS. 4 .and 5 the shoulders are indicated by reference numerals 122. When the shoulders 122 are nested in the grooves 121 the casing halves are properly closed and the various subassemblies of the hair dryer components are locked or held captive in their illustrated positions. Referring to FIG. 2, at its left-hand end the casing halves are removably fastened together \by .an end ring 17 which is snugly received about the casing halves. At its right-hand end the casing halves are connected together by the cup-shaped element 18 which is likewise snugly received about the casing halves.

The switch housing part 13 of the hair dryer casing is considered the top part. On its bottom side the casing is provided with a support foot 123 at one end and at its other end the bottom of the casing is provided with a pair of feet 124 integrally formed on the member 18. These feet are provided with rubber bumpers 125, see FIG. 8, to provide a three point cushion support for the hair dryer on a table top or the like. The foot 123 is provided with an aperture 126 for a carrying strap or string 123', see FIG. 1.

In order to properly align the member 18 with the hair dryer casing a notch 127, see FIG. 3, is defined between the upper edges of the casing halves at the end portion which receives member 18. An elongated shoulder 128 is provided on the inside of the member 18 which is adapted to be received by the notch 127. When member 128 is aligned with the notch 127 the member 18 can be moved over the air inlet end of the hair dryer casing but otherwise not. In order to prevent accidental disassembly of the hair dryer the member 18 is latched to the hair dryer casing. The latch for this purpose is shown in FIG. 7. A pair of latching fingers 129 are integrally formed in opposite sides of the members 15 and 16. The outer ends of the members 129 are provided with teeth 129' which will latch in a shoulder 130 formed on the inside of opposite sides of the member 18. The shoulders 130 represent the ends of grooves 131 extending inwardly from the outer end of member 18. The ring 17 can be readily slipped off the hair dryer casing. However, the member 18 cannot be removed until the latch teeth 129' are first disengaged from the shoulders 130. In order to disengage the parts 129', 130 an instrument such as a screw driver must be inserted into the grooves 131 to unhook the teeth 129' off the shoulders 130. Thereafter, the member 18 can be readily slipped off the casing so as to open the two casing halves.

It will now be seen that the invention provides a hair dryer which is uncomplicated and low cost and readily fabricated and assembled. Additionally, the invention facilitates repair or service work by making the various components thereof readily accessible. Also, the invention provides a hair dryer which is truly portable inasmuch as the motor, fan and heating unit is by far more compact and eflicient than hair dryers currently available on the market. In addition, the invention provides a hair dryer which is ideally suited for travel purposes inasmuch as it overcomes the prior art problem of how to store the hose for connecting the motor, fan and heating unit to a hair dryer cap. This is made possible by providing for collapsed storage of the air hose in the air outlet of the hair dryer unit. The hair dryer cap itself of course provides no particular problem in conserving on space inasmuch as it may be constructed from plastic sheet material which can readily be folded or rolled into a small package. Therefore, the invention provides a hair dryer package of cap, hose and motor blower-heater unit which requires a minimum amount of space.

The hair dryer of the instant inventionis by far more efficient than prior art portable hair dryers which are in the same competitive price range. For example, a comparison of prior art portable hair dryers utilizing scroll type blowers and induction motors with the hair dryer of the instant invention shows that said prior art hair dryers are about three and one-half times heavier and larger than our hair dryer. In addition to a reduction in weight and space our hair dryer has an increased air delivery and heating capacity of about 20 and percent respectively as compared to said prior art hair dryers. The two last mentioned increased characteristics resulted in reducing the time required for drying a head of hair by about 20 percent as compared to said prior art hair dryers. This means that on a per pound or unit volume comparison basis the hair dryer of our invention is about 325 percent more efficient than said prior art hair dryers.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and that it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a hair dryer comprising a cylindrical casing that is open at each of its ends, a motor-blower unit in said casing, said unit comprising a cylindrical metallic motor housing, said housing being positioned in said casing, said housing being radially spaced from said casing by a plurality of spaced lengthwise extending cooling vanes integrally formed on said housing, an annular stator core positioned in said housing, said core being radially spaced from said housing by a plurality of spaced lengthwise extending support ledges formed on said housing, an armature positioned in said core, said armature being mounted on an armature shaft, and a bearing structure for rotatably supporting the opposite ends of said shaft, one of the bearing structures comprising a diametrical member extending integrally crosswise one end of said housing, a bearing seat formed on the inside of the central portion of said diametrical member, a bearing in said seat, a pair of diametrically opposite spaced lugs integrally formed on said housing adjacent said diametrical member, said lugs extending radially inward of said housing, and a resilient bearing retainer extending diametrically across said one housing end and between said bearing and lugs, the central portion of said retainer being positioned against said bearing and its opposite ends being bowed in a direction away from said bearing toward said lugs for engagement with said lugs, aligned apertures formed in the central portion of said retainer and said bearing, one end of said shaft extending through said retainer aperture into said bearing, and an axial flow blower on said shaft whereby cooling air passes through said casing between said vanes and ledges and past said bearing structure.

2. In a hair dryer as in claim 1, an annular member positioned against the other end of said housing, a bearing structure as recited in claim 1 at the outer end of said annular member for the other end of said shaft, a commutator on said shaft, said commutator being positioned in said annular member, a pair of diametrically opposite located openings formed in said annular member, a pair of brush holders fixed in said openings, and a pair of commutator brushes positioned in said brush holders.

3. An electric motor-blower unit, comprising, a cylindrical metallic housing, an annular stator core in said housing, an armature in said core, said armature being supported on a shaft, and a bearing structure for rotatably supporting opposite ends of said shaft, one of said bearing structures comprising an annular member positioned against one end of said housing, the outer-end of said annular member having an integral diametrically extending cross piece, a bearing seat formed on the inside of the central portion of said cross piece, a bearing in said seat, a pair of diametrically opposite and inwardly extending lugs integrally formed in said annular member adjacent said cross piece, and a diametrically extending bearing retainer extending between said lugs and over said bearing, said retainer being constructed from resilient material, the central portion of said retainer being positioned against said bearing and its opposite ends being bowed away therefrom toward said lugs for engagement therewith, aligned apertures formed in the central portion of said retainer and said bearing, one end of said shaft being positioned in said aligned apertures, and an axial flow blower on said shaft for cooling said motor including said bearing structure.

4. In an electric motor-blower unit as in claim 3, means for removably retaining said plastic member on said housing, said means comprising a U-shaped retainer clip straddling said plastic member lengthwise thereof, a groove formed in the outside of the central portion of said cross piece, a pair of diametrically positioned holes formed in said housing adjacent said plastic member, the free ends of said clip being hooked in said holes, and the bight portion of said clip being removably seated in said groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,883,288 10/1932 Zubaty 310-62 WARREN E. RAY, Primary Examiner.

R. SKUDY, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

